Taps



June 10, 1958 WQODHALL 2,838,069

TAPS

Filed Jan. 10. 1955 INVENTOR.

Ma a M United States Patent TAPS Harold George Woodhall, Dudley, England, assignor to Ewarts Limited, Dudley, England, a British company Application January 10, 1955, Serial No. 480,967

Claims priority, application Italy January 21, 1954 1 Claim. (Cl. 137-62541) This invention relates to a tap of the kind known as a two level tap wherein the tap body incorporates two inlet passageways which are adapted for communication at different levels with the interior of a tank or container with which the tap is to be associated, the tap providing for three settings, namely (a) a setting in which no flow is permitted from the tank or container,

(b) a setting in which flow is permitted from the tank or container from the higher level within the tank through the tap outlet passageway, but flow is prevented from the lower level adjacent the bottom of the tank, and

(c) a setting in which flow is permitted from the lower level of the tank to the outlet passageway.

An example of a use for such a tap is in the control of the supply of liquid fuel from the tank of a motor vehicle where the normal operational setting of the tap is that described at (b) above, and the setting is provided so that a reserve supply in the bottom of the tank may be utilised if the supply of fuel in the tank is permitted to fall below a predetermined minimum level; setting (a) being provided so that a complete cut-ofi of the fuel supply can be achieved.

The object of the present invention is to provide a tap of the aforesaid kind of simple and compact construction with the minimum of moving parts and a single operating member.

The invention consists of a tap of the kind referred to characterised in that alternate positions of a single slide provide for all the settings of the tap.

The invention may further reside in the fact that a longitudinal sliding motion of the slide changes the tap from one setting .to another and the third setting is obtained by a rotation of the said slide.

In order that the invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into practice reference may be had to the appended explanatory drawings in which:

Fig. 1 illustrates the tap in vertical sectional elevation and in the closed or cut-off position and Fig. 2 illustrates the liquid controlling slide.

According to a convenient embodiment of the present invention an axially bored tap body a which is to be connected to the bottom of a tank or container such as the tank of a motor vehicle, has an externally screwthreaded part a which is adapted'to engage in an aperture in the bottom of the said tank or container. b is a concentrically arranged upstanding tube which projects from the tubular part of the body a for a predetermined distance as illustrated, so that it will be appreciated that the tube b is in communication with the interior of the tank or container at a higher lever than the annular space a between the tubular part of the valve body and the'exterior of the tube b.

Disposed around the projecting portion of the tube b between the upper extremity of the body a and a head or collar b formed at the extremity of the tube b and thence beyond the collar b is a filter gauze 0 through which any Patented June 10, 1958 fluid passing into the tube b or into the annular space a must flow. p

The tube b at its lower end opens into a transversely extending substantially cylindrical chamber a in the tap body at a point diametrically opposite to the outlet passageway formedin the externally screw-threaded downwardly directed portion a of the tap body, a is an inclined passageway which opens into the substantially cylindrical chamber a closed at a but which connects with chamber a of increased diameter.

Within the valve chamber a a is a cylindrical slide d (2 provided with a knurled operating head d The slide part d is provided on its periphery with an L-shaped groove d d in which engages the inner extremity of a screw pin a engaging a screw-threaded aperture in the periphery of the valve body.

' The slide part d is provided with a packing d of cork or other suitable material, and on the inner side of this packing is a shoulder ti which is adapted to.abut against a shoulder a on the internal periphery of the substantially cylindrical chamber a a when the tap is in the closed setting, as illustrated' d is an oblique slot in d When the tap is at the closed setting, see Fig. l, the

shoulder d on the plunger abuts the shoulder a and the packing d covers the diametrically opposite openings into the chamber from the inlet tube b and the outlet passageway, the inner end of the screw pin a in the valve body engages the extremity of the groove d in the plunger adjacent the head, and the reduced extremity d of the plunger covers the opening into the chamber from the passageway a in communication with the annular space a in the tubular upstanding part of the tap body a.

When it is desired to open the tap for normal operation the knurled head d of the plunger is grasped and the plunger withdrawn to its maximum extent without rotation, this movement being limited by the engagement of the inner end of the screw pin a with the wall of the portion d of the groove which extends circumferentially. In this setting there is a straight through flow of liquid and also in this setting the extremity d of the plunger of reduced diameter still covers the opening a into the chamber a from the annular space a and flow of fuel from the bottom of the tank is thus prevented.

if the supply of fuel in the tank falls below the inlet to the tube b, and it is desired to utilise the fuel in the lower portion of the tank then the knurled head d of the plunger is now rotated through as permitted by the circumferentially extending groove d in its periphery which is engaged by the inner end of the screw pin a", and then withdrawn a small distance so as to engage the inner end d (Fig. 2) of the groove with the screw pin a". At this setting the slot d is brought into register with the opening a into the chamber from the annular space a and also into register with the outlet (1 from the chamber. It will be understood at this setting fuel flowing from the tank must flow through the filter c surrounding the tube b and any sediment in the tank is prevented from passing through the tap.

I claim:

A tap comprising, in combination, a tap body having a passage extending downwardly therethrough, said body also having a main cylindrical chamber extending laterally therewithin and intersecting said passage, a main cylindrical control member rotatably mounted within said main cylindrical chamber, said main cylindrical control member being axially slidable within said main cylindrical chamber to close said passagweay when in one position and to open said passageway when slid into another position, said tap body having an auxiliary cylindrical chamber therein, said auxiliary cylindrical chamber be-.

ing located coaxially with said main cylindrical chamber, there being an annular internal shoulder between said main cylindrical chamber and said auxiliary cylindrical one position and to close such connection when said chamber, said main cylindrical control member having control member is rotated out of such position.

an auxiliary cylindrical portion projecting into said auxiliary cylindrical chamber, there being a conduit leading Refefemw Ciied in tha file of this Patent from the exterior of said tap body to saidauxiliary 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS cylindrical chamber, said auxiliary cylindrical portion of said control member having an oblique slot to connect gig? 2-2; :2 said conduit to the lower end of said passage when said control member is axially away from engagement 32 :f with said annular internal shoulder and is rotated into 10 y 

